In the training of baseball players one of the most difficult tasks is to develop their batting skills at the plate. They must be trained to appreciate and use their existing visual acuity, they must improve their mental analysis of the game situation, they must enhance their memory of the opposing pitcher's abilities and tendencies, they must be able to thoroughly understand and follow their coach's directions, analyze each oncoming pitch and coordinate their own ability and muscle response, and combine them all within the matter of the fraction of a second of the early few feet travel of a pitched baseball arriving at a speed of 80 to 90 miles per hour.
Professional baseball players have demonstrated sufficient capabilities to meet the entrance standard for the professional world. However to maintain and enhance their abilities and to adapt them to new opposing pitchers, continuing training is essential. This is usually accomplished in the professional baseball world through the instruction of batting coaches with the help of warmup and training pitchers who throw pitches to batters in training and practice. The warmup and training pitcher does not have a happy lot. The work is tiring, uninspiring and, of course, the task is not allocated to game pitchers who must protect their arm. Therefore, batters in training or practice do not normally face the quality of pitcher that they face in every league game.
Additionally, skilled coaches and scouts learn of the strengths, weaknesses, tendencies and habits of pitchers and batters which must be added to the coaching equation to bring a batter to their maximum skill level. For example, if a scout has ascertained that a particular pitcher generally throws a particular ratio or order of pitches, it is desirable to convey that information to a batter and, if possible, have the training pitcher throw such ratio or sequence in practice sessions before meeting that pitcher. It is extremely difficult to insure that a training pitcher has such skill and endurance to pitch reliably "on command" to train the batters effectively.
Similarly, the batting coach must recognize the strengths, weaknesses and habits of each batter and must build on the strengths, cure any bad habits and overcome the weaknesses often by requesting a series of identical pitches or a larger percentage of particular pitches from the training pitcher to instruct the batter. Few training pitchers can reliably pitch on command for sufficient time to effectively train a batter in one particular pitch.
Heretofore, baseball pitching machines have been primarily been found acceptable in the amateur and junior level of batter training and for that purpose they usually employ simulated baseballs lacking in seams which are utilized for control by major league pitchers. Most important, pitching machines, heretofore have not provided a realistic batting training session. Therefore, batting machines have not made any significant inroads into professional baseball training.
Various prior art pitching or ball launching machines have been developed through the years and the following exemplify the state of the art known to us:
______________________________________ 4,442,823 Floyd et al. April 17, 1984 4,269,163 Feith May 26, 1981 5,125,653 Kovacs et al. June 30, 1992 5,195,744 Kapp et al. March 23, 1993 4,197,827 Smith April 15, 1980 4,372,284 Shannon February 8, 1983 4,583,514 Nozato April 22, 1986 4,632,088 Bruce December 30, 1986 4,712,534 Nozato December 15, 1987 5,044,350 Iwabuchi et al. September 3, 1991 3,308,802 Applegate March 14, 1967 5,133,330 Sharp July 28, 1992 4,570,607 Stokes February 18, 1986 4,091,791 Castelli et al. May 30, 1978 3,989,245 Augustine, Jr. November 2, 1976 3,989,027 Kahelin November 2, 1976 3,838,676 Kahelin October 1, 1974 3,662,729 Henderson May 16, 1972 3,640,263 Rhodes February 8, 1972 3,288,127 Bullock November 29, 1966 5,012,790 Bates May 7, 1991 5,174,565 Komori December 29, 1992 4,784,107 Kelly November 15, 1988 4,815,735 McClenny March 28, 1989 4,548,407 Sato October 22, 1985 4,501,257 Kholin February 26, 1985 German Patent DE-3914017-A1 German Patent DE-3407972-A1 Canadian Patent 1-158-502 ______________________________________
We have, however, found that the counterrotating wheels of pitching machines do have significand merit in launching baseballs and a minor degree of control of the pitch is presently possible with such ball launching systems. Examples of such counterrotating wheel ball launching machines are disclosed in the following patents:
______________________________________ 4,026,261 Paulson et al May 31, 1977 3,774,584 J. K. Paulson Nov. 27, 1973 ______________________________________
These patents show that by controlling the relative speeds of two counterrotating wheels, that a spin can be imparted to a launched ball and that by changing the angle of the axes of rotation from horizontal that the spin imparted to the launched ball can cause it not only to drop but to curve to the left or right, as well.
Usually, smooth surface or, at least, non seamed balls are used with batting machines since contact of the seams of a baseball with the counterrotating wheels tends to produce erratic paths of the launched balls. Batting training using non seamed balls is of virtually no value at the professional level since the seam position as it leaves the pitcher's hand is of critical effect on the flight path producing the following pitches:
fast ball PA1 curve PA1 slider PA1 sinker PA1 cut fastball PA1 change PA1 and a variety of specialty pitches of particular pitchers. PA1 1. provide realistic pitches of the types normally encountered by a professional player at the plate; PA1 2. employ regulation professional league baseballs; PA1 3. provide precise control of the pitches; PA1 4. provide repeatability for the same commanded pitch, time after time; PA1 5. be usable by both left and right handed batters by a simple selective control; PA1 6. simulate either a left or right hand pitcher pitching to either a left hand or right hand batter by a simple control; PA1 7. to provide for a selected sequence of pitches as the coach may desire; PA1 8. to provide for a selected ratio of pitches as a coach may desire with the pitches being thrown on a random or predetermined basis; PA1 9. to provide for pitches to reach the plate in selected zones; PA1 10. to provide for pitching balls (non strike zone) on command or in a predetermined ratio; PA1 11. to provide for batter safety through precise control of ball delivery; PA1 12. to provide for selected speed of delivery from 60 to 90 miles per hour; PA1 13. to provide for delivery to the target of a designated pitch as a percentage of a series of pitches; PA1 14. to provide for precise azimuth control and spin axis accuracy to provide for precise delivery; PA1 15. to be no more affected in the delivery from baseballs of different condition than a live pitcher encounters in an actual game situation; PA1 16. to provide a controllable pitching rate which is independent of the pitch sequence, along with the date, time, pitch type, pitch location and batter to record the training session and to supplement the batter's performance on the record by the machine operator; PA1 17. to provide a means of filming each pitch and the batter's reaction and to provide a record on the film of the pitch commanded, date, time, pitch type, pitch location and batter to allow post training analysis by the batter and his coach; PA1 18. to provide for a coherent light source to provide a visual indication at the home plate of the orientation of the baseball delivery system; PA1 19. to provide for a seam orientation system to insure that each baseball as delivered to the counterrotating wheels has the precise required seam orientation for correct delivery; and PA1 20. to provide a ball inserter for holding a baseball with precise desired seam orientation for inserting a baseball into other delivery systems to produce predictable pitches with authentic standard baseballs. PA1 a) speed of delivery of the ball; PA1 b) spin imparted to the ball on delivery; PA1 c) axis angle of the delivery system; PA1 d) seam orientation; PA1 e) variable sequence in pitches not observable by the batter before delivery; PA1 f) programming capability to provide different pitch patterns corresponding to opposing pitchers; PA1 g) the batter's strike zone; and PA1 h) provides for calibration for the particular location of the pitching machine. PA1 1. align up the pitching machine to the target plate; PA1 2. calibrate the ball motion controls consistent with the machine alignment; PA1 3. adjust for the handedness of the pitcher and the batter; PA1 4. adjust for the batter's strike zone and the desired pitch sequence for this batter; PA1 5. select the ball trajectory options and modifications of pitches selected; PA1 6. select the number of each particular type of pitch in each series of random pitches; PA1 7. control a video camera to record the batter's actual performance for each pitch; and PA1 8. count the pitches of each series.
Of course, the effect and desirability of each of these types of pitches vary with left hand and right hand pitchers and left hand and right hand batters. An effective professional baseball quality pitching machine must be able to provide each of these pitches "on command" to be truly an effective training aid. Likewise the machine must effectively conceal from the batter, until delivery, the pitch being thrown so that the batter can only judge the pitch from the characteristics of the approaching ball. If a batter can master a pitching machine which can conceal the delivery operations, it can improve his skills to the level exceeding that required of a batter at the plate in an actual game where he has the additional clues from the pitcher's delivery and habits.
Furthermore, it would be of great advantage to the batter and to his coach to be able to view and analyze numerically the batter's performance in a batting training session, after the fact.